I am receiving worker’s compensation benefits. If the Social Security Administration finds me disabled, will I receive money from both programs?

This is a good question. Many social security claims

wonder how worker’s compensation benefits and other public assistance will affect their social security disability benefits (SSD). The short answer is that since you receive worker’s compensation benefits, your SSD benefits will be reduced. The general rule is that the total amount of all public benefits (including social security disability benefits) cannot exceed 80 percent of your average current earnings before you became disabled. The average current earnings is a calculation that the social security administration will make based on the circumstances of the individual’s work income history. We will use a hypothetical to illustrate how worker’s compensation and other public assistance can reduce SSD benefits. Bob was a machinist making about $4,200 per month and was injured at work on April 1, 2005. Since Bob was injured at work, he qualifies for worker’s compensation rda”) [ 182 ] Chapter 7 To export the existing object from R and to support files as per requirements, we need to use the following functions: • CSV: Write the dataframe object into the csv file via the following command: write. benefits. Let’s assume that Bob receives $2,000 per month in worker’s compensation benefits for As we discuss in Chapters 12 and 13, many tools used to analyze big are an evolution of what’s already out there in the market in terms of business intelligence and advanced analysis. two years starting on the date he was injured. Bob also applies for Social Security Disability benefits because Bob believes that the injury has rendered him “disabled” under social security rules. Assume further that Bob is unsuccessful on his first application. Bob hires a social security attorney to help him file for reconsideration and, ultimately, for a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge. On April 28, 2007 the ALJ finds Bob “disabled” and eligible for SSD benefits, with an onset date of April 1, 2005. Assume that this finding entitles Bob to $2,000 per month in both retroactive and current SSD benefits. Bob’s SSD benefits and worker’s compensation benefits overlap for the two-year period between April On behalf of our IT staff and myself, thank you for recovering the critical that was on our dead 2TB hard drive. 1, 2005 and April 1, 2007. Social security will calculate Bob’s average current earnings based on Bob’s work income of $4,200 per month. Let’s assume that the social security administration finds that Bob had an average current earning income of $4,000. In applying the rule, Bob’s current income from SSD and worker’s compensation cannot exceed 80 percent, or $3,200 per month. Since Bob was entitled to a total of $4,000 per month ($2,000 worker’s compensation and $2,000 in SSD), and this amount exceeds 80 percent of his average current earnings income, Bob’s SSD

benefit will be reduced by $800 per month ($4,000 less $3,200). Therefore Bob will receive $2,000 from worker’s compensation for the past two years and he will receive a reduced retroactive SSD benefit of $1,200 per month for the same two year period.

Note that since Bob’s worker’s compensation benefits ended on April 1, 2007, Bob’s SSD benefits will return to the full $2,000 per month unless he receives some other form of public assistance. Special rules allow SSD recipients to receive some public assistance in addition to SSD before any benefits will be reduced. However, worker’s compensation and other public assistance will reduce SSD benefits so long as the total benefits exceed the average current earningsas determined by the social security administration. It is important to note that private income from insurance or pensions will not reduce your SSD benefit payment. Therefore, Bob could receive his full pension from work and the full SSD benefit payment per month without any reduction. Should you have any questions regarding social security benefits, or if you would like to consult with an attorney, please contact our office.

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Kasunic Law CO, LPA is a well-established personal injury, family law and social security disability law firm with multiple locations in Northeast Ohio. We have offices in Lake County- Willoughby, Akron and two locations in Cuyahoga County- Cleveland and Westlake. We offer legal counseling and representation for our clients in the following legal areas: social security disability, litigation, bankruptcy, personal injury, business organization issues, probate and family law.
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